Shades of existence
by phoenixluv
Summary: Harry was betrayed by the Light and left at the mercy of the Malfoys.He chose to die rather than live as a Malfoy. Voldemort discovers the curse Harry used and races against time to save the life he once wanted to take. Blaise/Harry Slash. Torture/Suicide
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I would be a multimillionaire (which I'm not _yet_).

**Shades of Existence**

**Prologue **

The fire was cackling away merrily in the study. Tom Riddle Junior sat in his chair by the fireplace. One hand held a yet another report sent by the inapt bumbling fool of the Minister, a useful puppet in the office; the other hand nursed chilled Beer, his old favorite. It was a plain old muggle drink; the wizards drank Firewhiskey. Once upon a time some pompous Pureblood would have dared to suggest another drink; now no one dared. Tom himself controlled most of the Ministry of Magic nowadays; both Light and Dark wizards sought his favor with equal fervor.

Tom sighed. It was a tedious report on an inane law some Pureblood bigot thought up to further restrict Mudbloods and Halfbloods. He took a long sip from his mug. He had envisioned a better world. Revolution was what was needed to shake the footholds of aristocratic Purebloods, and yes he had succeeded. He had laws in place to show the Muggle and Muggleborns their place in the eyes of the Purebloods. Yet he was clever enough to leave loopholes for those talented enough to find them; most of them did with the help of his well established Underworld. The elites could go live in the fairy tale of Pureblood supremacy. The real world was entirely different thing. He held the keys to both levels of life in the British Wizarding world. He smirked enjoying the horror on the faces of the conceited upper levels of society if they ever found out just how the inbreeding was weakening their magic and intelligence. Well Fuck them!

The later years of the power struggle had shown him the basic flaw in the reasoning of Purebloods. He had maintained decent relations with the Muggle Prime Minister. He was interested to learn just what made the Wizards different and more powerful than Muggles and the age old question; 'Where do the Muggleborns Wizards and Witches come from?' They both had Muggle scientists conduct the experiments in collaboration with the Unspeakables.

The results had managed to shock him at first. The explanation was simple 'mostly dominant but complex mutations in a gene cluster containing roughly a dozen genes' allowed magic; a simple higher function of brain. The genetics were more complex but verdict was unanimous. If the dominant Magic mutations were allowed to pool together for several generations the genes either turned off (became recessive) or became toxic. The toxicity manifested as degenerative diseases madness being the most common; the next was higher miscarriages when the baby wasn't just compatible to survive. The Muggleborns were something nature gifted the magical world to negate the dangers of Magic. Hell, even Muggles helped them. They found that the Half-bloods in both Light and Dark families were much more healthy, talented and powerful than their Pureblood counterparts. He himself was much more powerful than rest of his demented deceased family put together. Though she had given birth to him Pureblood Merope Gaunt was little more than a squib.

These studies were the reason he was tempered now in his laws. He knew that fresh blood was needed to preserve the dwindling magical lines. Slowly but surely he was eroding the strict laws under which the Pureblood children were brought up. He had outlawed the arranged magical contracts (signed mostly in infancy) and magical bonding of underage couples, allowed divorces and advocated the freedom of choice coupled with mandatory education in both Dark arts and Light magic at Hogwarts; a typical carrot and stick approach worked wonders with both the ancient logic-befuddled and the young upstart Wizards and Witches. The Dark Arts were dying anyways. It didn't matter whether students knew them or not; the curious like himself had always found a way and the lazy sods never gave damn about any subject. Go figure! His lips quirked in amusement at his obvious Muggle approach.

His eyes drifted back onto the papers. Parchments were fanciful and expensive; paper was cheap. Therefore he had relegated parchments to high priority documents only. Quills were showy and slow, so pens were bought in. He carried a gold encrusted fountain pen now and encouraged research in Technomancy, a new field combining modern technology and magic.

The new creature laws he was drafting were aimed to provide the legal backing for employment and protection of Werewolves and Vampires. It included the preservation of their vampire culture, new residential reserves for them to stay during bloodlust or full moon lights and rights to employment. It was an ambitious proposal but his Ministry faction couldn't protest against it. After all, they had welcomed the same as allies when fighting against the Ministry. He ruled his faction with an iron hand now and there were none who would match his will or wiles. He may have shed his old Lord Voldemort persona but he was still Lord Slytherin and main advisor to the Minister; a much more formidable title. The Giants bill would follow soon and his expose of the hypocrisy of the purists will continue. He rewarded his allies handsomely. He had never liked the Centaurs much but he knew that he had to take care of them lest they be tempted by his opponents.

His banner now was the mightiest, more so than even Albus Dumbledore. Oh! The old wizard still held the positions of Supreme Mugwump but his feather were trimmed; mostly. He now played his games in the Wizengamot than in the actual battle arena with his old nemesis. After all the success of a revolution depends on the actual power gained. His pureblood loyalists had convinced the Wizengamot and Minister to agree to a political resolution. He would staunch the blood struggle and appreciate aristocracy and talent. Since they covertly practiced these rules anyways they had folded like the deck of cards and granted him special favors which he milked for all they were worth. His opponents lost the war spectacularly without even fighting the battles.

After the struggle in the Ministry had ended he had gathered the rest of his horcruxes and re-assimilated all but one of them in himself. One was enough to grant him immortality he once craved but now thought of as necessary evil. He now was back to his aged but handsome appearance resembling his youth before the Dart Arts had mutilated his soul. The peace this time was absolute with almost everyone surviving unscathed through the second war. The few affected families were amply compensated and the Wizarding world was satisfied with their petty squabbles for land, rank and marriages.

He would have had absolute control but his one mistake had dearly cost him and gave Dumbledore the foothold he desperately needed. The Boy-Who-Lived-Under-Dumbledore's thumb had fulfilled his purpose well. Dumbledore was back to his games. His one mistake, one Harry Potter was now sitting in the same room by the window. His eyes were fixed to the view outside. All this time in this Manor, he had sat at the same window everyday from the time he woke to the time he slept; his eyes seeing everything yet nothing. The haunted look in his eyes had never changed. For all his fame and money there were few who could have taken care of him in the state he was in.

The Weasleys had tried but the care was expensive and required more people than they could spare. Their presence stirred restlessness in him to an extent that he would have fits lasting anywhere between minutes to hours. He had himself witnessed several of his episodes. Only in those times he had seen a flicker of longing and desperation pass though those normally lifeless orbs. Harry looked as if his body wanted to touch and feel but his mind refused to cope. These forced his best friends, his only family and sometimes (surprisingly) Blaise Zabini on weekends and holidays to see him to the lair of infamous Lord Voldemort stay away behind a see though wall. He never minded. He had a big Manor. They were Gryffindors, famous to go till the end of the earth for their loved ones. They stayed in a different room looking at him from a distance while their red headed monkeys of kids ran about in the room where the once famous now forgotten Harry Potter sat. The kids never bothered him. They would play near him and sometimes on the rare occasions Tom would see a slight curve of lips showing presence of his consciousness which now evaded his mind on a general principal. He was getting worried by each passing day. The episodes have slowed and lately stopped altogether. The lack of any emotion from the boy was making him edgy. In his heart he knew though; Harry Potter the Boy-Who-Wouldn't-Die was slowly dying.

Tom had once wanted to utterly destroy his nemesis and he had succeeded. He now wished that he hadn't. Two years ago the power struggle had made him mad enough to wish to wreck vengeance on his nemesis- one Harry James Potter. He had placed one stipulation in the negotiations which made the marriage between one Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy possible and inevitable. He had hoped to turn the boy into his camp firmly by binding him in marriage by the rites of Magic. The Light faction had agreed hoping that the Malfoys would be swayed to the Light side and literally wrote the contract of marriage between the two. What followed was the sham marriage of two individuals one smug in his triumph and the other numbed by the betrayal of all but himself, Hermione and the Weasleys.

The next day was anticlimactic. Harry emerged from his wedding chambers not by himself but was carried out by house-elves and then sent to St. Mungos. A violently ill Draco Malfoy managed to tell him about an obscure ritual Harry had used to slowly kill himself before he had a nervous breakdown. The public was told that he had committed suicide while he secretly shipped Malfoy off to France. He had worked with healers for the whole day and saved his life; well they saved his body. His mind was beyond repair by that point. That was the day he had discovered that Harry carried a tiny sliver of his soul in his fragile body. By all Magic, he had to protect the boy now. He bound all the healers under unbreakable vows, sealed all the records and took the boy with him. The old man had tried to interfere but he got the custody through Malfoys. The Light had relinquished their claim the moment they had signed the contract.

The truth was only known to those who remained faithful to Harry and Lord Voldemort. Harry's medical files were sealed to anybody not family and later were destroyed in the catastrophic fire in St. Mungos. As the time passed, the tensions cooled. Tom had learned to tolerate that the boy would live in his care for the rest of his short life. With time he had even began to care whether he had eaten in the day or slept well through the night, a rare occurrence even now. Only once he had witnessed the screams which ripped through the boy in his unconscious state. The memory still gave him chills.

He had once hoped to make Harry his heir by making him see the darkness permeating the Light of magic but in the process had managed to completely break him. Tom sighed. Revolutions better the world, yet each had a price paid in blood of those who were innocents.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I would be a multimillionaire (which I'm not _yet_).

**Shades of Existence**

**I wrote this story as a oneshot. However it remained on the edges of my mind; so I have decided to develop this as a short story.  
**

Chapter 1

Voldemort shivered in the utter fog and cold but kept on flying. The visibility was less than twenty feet at best. No amount of warming spells could warm up his skin in this cold which seemed to seep within his very bones. The cursed place he was rushing towards was where no other Wizard would dare to go unless he or she wished to die. He thought of his home and his fireplace longingly flying towards this God forsaken place. Beside him flying at astonishing speeds there were two more flyers; one had streaming silver blond hair streaming in the wind while the other had black dreadlocks swaying in graceful waves. Both had athletic looking fine bodies and features of Noble families. One whose family had served him through two wars and the other who was with him just for the person he wished to save. Malfoy was understandable but Zabini's insistence to tag along on this dangerous journey had made him a bit wary.

As they continue to fly, the fog deepened and a black mountain slowly came into view. This was the place they were searching for. He gave the signal as they reached the black crag near the summit and slowly descended. From here they have to move on the foot down into the bowels of the mountain where Wizarding version of the hell was said to be located. The place they were going was dubbed as 'The Dementor's Lair'. This was the place where the original Dementors were rumored to originate; no one was sure whether they were actual Demons or results of some whacked out experiments performed by some powerful Necromancers. All they were sure of that the devil like creatures came from this place and roamed the earth to feed their hunger of souls.

The rocks around them seemed to define a new shade of black. With each step they took it seemed that their breath seemed to freeze within their throats. Draco had a faint buzzing in his ears and Blaise seemed to be turning blue.

* * *

_Harry smirked in his direction. "I am anything but a glorified slave for you, Draco. The ones, who should have protected me while they egged me on to fight you, betrayed me. I get it."_

_Draco struggled to rein in his anger. This was an expected reaction. He now wished he had reined his gloating in front of the Dumbledore's sycophants. "You are not my slave and Granger and Weasleys didn't betray you. I will protect you, Harry."_

_Harry looked at him with pure loathing in his eyes. "Yes, that is why you included the vows of subservience and punishment into the wedding vows. I may be a helpless orphan but I am nobody's fool, my dear Husband", he spat angrily, "You as much as branded me as cattle on your land. Haven't you got some little collar for me lying somewhere too?"_

_Draco bristled in anger. He wanted to open his naïve Husband's eyes to the real betrayal that the Light side had manipulated him into. He needed to calm down before he lost it and hurt the other boy. Harry however had other idea. He raised his wand against the blond contemplatively. _

_"You cannot hurt me Harry." Draco said sedately."If you try to hurt me, the spell would backfire on you."  
_

_Harry smirked and twirled his wand. "Imperio", he whispered._

* * *

Draco plodded on with a single goal in mind. Voldemort seemed to care nothing as his worst memories swam before his eyes as mere shadows. He pushed on without caring a bit that that the very rocks of this awful place seemed to shirk away from beneath his foot as if afraid of him. After two hours of a punishing trek they reached the door they were told about.

It was a magnificent work of spellwork and ancient runes interwoven delicately and almost lovingly with great care; true art in the eyes of a Dark Wizard such as Voldemort. Voldemort touched his hand on the door. The younger Wizards copied him. With a giant creak the huge door swung open. As a wash of true ancient magic swept over them, the oppressed feeling in the bodies of Wizards vanished and their breathing eased. Voldemort strode in followed by the younger Noble scions.

The master Dementor hovered beside a huge foe glass like instrument. As they walked in it straightened up and turned towards them.

"Welcome Lord Slytherin." He wheezed in a rasping voice. The voice gave Blaise chills. He deliberately took a calming breath and bowed along with the others in greeting.

* * *

_"No strings attached, Blaise." Harry looked into his eyes and gave him a shy smile. Blaise smiled slightly._

_ He was well known for his man-whore status in the school. Yet when the generally shy Golden boy of Gryffindor had approached him for a one night stand he had hesitated. He knew Harry was a virgin. He was also extremely lonely and the tag of being his boyfriend would carry a death sentence for any other boy. Perhaps that was the reason; Harry had mustered his courage to ask him for a night with no strings. It was a dream many women and several young men harbored within their hearts.  
_

_"No strings attached, Harry." He had whispered before tasting the rosy lips everybody in that damned school thirsted to feast on. _

* * *

A tear fell from Blaise's eye. It had been one of the best nights of his life. His heart thrummed with a strange energy as if Harry was there with him remembering what he felt that night. It took him a moment to realize that it was Harry's magic which surrounded him. It was something familiar he had encountered that night; it soothed and comforted him. He was safe. He quickly smothered his emotions under the cold mask every Slytherin learned to perfect before the age of five.

The Dementor looked in his direction curiously. It too along with the others had felt the flare in the magic which had entwined with the boy.

Voldemort held his breath. He knew the taste of this magic. It was Harry's through and through and it weaved joyfully around the Zabini boy. This incident gave him the reason for all those unexplained visits that the Zabini scion had paid to his Manor to see Harry. The boys had a bond, not enough to dissolve his marriage but powerful enough to aid the other in times of great stress; it was old magic; magic at its most ancient and pure form.

"I know why you have come. You seek his soul." The Dementor wheezed out.

"Name your price." Voldemort nodded. He had thought that the Dementors would demand all the souls he could muster as the payment for their support during the war. After his win, the Dementors have vanished from the face of earth without a single whisper. He was glad that they did. Now, he realized that he should have investigated sooner. No one had bothered then. It bothered him now.

"There is nothing that you could offer me my Lord. I will not set him free. He offered his soul freely to us, for you and one of your companion wished to enslave _his_ with trapping of your magic. The same magic that summoned us and trapped us; those Necromancers wanted to rule your world and they blocked our path unless we aided them. We refused for we answer to none and fed on their souls to gain energy for our way back. Alas! Their souls were tainted with blackest of magic and it only served to anchor us here. The wizard whom soul you seek was pure; he offered his soul in self sacrifice without asking for any price. We accepted and for that he has our gratitude. His soul energy allowed my companions to cross the veil which transcends into my realm. I am the last and the most powerful and I need the most pure soul energy to cross over. Though blocked, the ritual bond still lingers. He must die for the release of the last fragment that yet clings to his body for my freedom from your realm. He is as they say 'My Salvation' and I don't care for anything else to give him up. You blocked the ritual from being completed that day and he lingers (in pain) in this world, just like me. Had he died quickly he would be free from the mortal world with me. "

Voldemort probed. "Those episodes that he went though?"

The Dementor answered, "His soul was shattered that night. He had performed the ritual several days prior. However, it took several days for the effects to take place as his soul was broken apart into pieces slowly. Every time one of my brethren drew on his soul energy to leave, he felt the drain and pain."

Having felt the excruciating pain whenever he had made his horcruxes and then re-assimilated them, Voldemort had a healthy appreciation for the pain Harry went though all these years. He inwardly shuddered. He however had never bowed in the face of unbelievable odds. He had come here to get Harry's soul released from the ritual bond and he will do it today. Harry had little time left if he considered the Dementor's word. It needed a Slytherin's approach though.

"You have existed on this plane of existence for more than a thousand years. Surely, another hundred could not hurt. Release his soul for a hundred years and I would let him die at the end of them. He is a Wizard of pure heart and I am sure he would remain one. I would ensure that you feed very well for the next hundred years with considerable increase in your power, should you choose to remain here."

The master Dementor paused. 'Good. It was considering his offer. Like every other being it craved power and his offer was the best it could get. He will not let Harry die if he could help it.'

A few moments later, the Dementor bowed. "I accept your offer for a hundred years."

Voldemort bowed back. "A hundred years. So mote it be." Magic swirled around them sealing their deal.

Blaise exhaled in relief. He had been plagued by nightmares ever since the Dark Lord had discovered the complete ramifications of the spell Harry had used. In the end there had been no bloodshed or bitter disappointments he had dreaded; just a plain business transaction and Harry would be safe for another hundred years.

As they made to leave, the Dementor wheezed out, "A word, Lord Slytherin." Voldemort nodded and motioned for his companions to move out.

"The boy has a soul mate my Lord. It answered my doubts to how you could block the spell."

Voldemort answered. "I wasn't aware of the bond, nor do I believe Harry was. I merely drew on the love he felt for his close friends to block your bond."

"His friends are loyal to the core. Still, the soul bond was what kept him clinging to this realm. This is why I released him. He was bonded to another by force; but Magic rebels if forced. Don't force him away from his soul mate for a hundred years would be too long for his suffering. His life depends on that boy. Farewell my Lord."

They bowed to each other. The wizard left and soon joined his younger companions.

Tom Riddle felt the eagerness in the young Zabini. The taste of Harry's magic was gone but he knew that the boy would soon recover from his dreadful nightmare. Blaise needed to control his exuberance a bit; he was radiating happiness like a Gryffindor. Draco needed to be kept in control lest he hurt his bonded. He absolutely will not allow anybody to hurt Harry again.

The Weasleys were surely going to have a heart attack. He smirked, imagining the looks on their faces when they would come face to face with a Harry teeming with life.

One and a half years of regret was washed away from his heart. For the first time in many years he really smiled.

_______________

I will see how it goes.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing especially not Harry Potter. If I did, I would be a multimillionaire (which I'm not _yet_).

**Shades of Existence: **

I hate the forced marriage and subsequent blossoming of love concept on principle. Not every arranged marriage results in love. The ones not so lucky were stuck in loveless matches. Cute and romantic as the concept is, the reality is absent in most of the fanfics. There was a reason there were so many affairs in the past centuries when divorce wasn't an option. Such marriages could go wrong at so many levels that I wonder at the tragedy of life they had. Harry is lucky in this fic that Tom began to care for his well being after his suicide attempt.

Chapter 2

Tom Riddle swept his gaze through the room as he stepped inside. The morning sun was filtering through the stained glass windows and bathing the room in a myriad of colors. As he approached he saw the rays kiss the young man's face with color as he lay sleeping peacefully. The change in him was marked. Instead of the sickly alabaster he had sported for the past year, his skin glowed with a healthy bronze hue. Harry had recovered enough lucidity to recognize his attendants in the past week which led to his numerous outings in the garden. The healers have confirmed that his condition was improving at a remarkable pace.

On his side-couch slept the youngest ginger haired male Weasley. Ronald had stayed with Harry last night. For the last fortnight his manor had hosted the whole Weasley clan either individually or together; all intent on helping Harry through his painful convalescence. Manipulating soul pieces inside a living being was fraught with unknown dangers and he wished to ease Harry into an untainted existence this time. He had extracted his soul piece from Harry and melded it into another souvenir from the Slytherin family vaults. The healing of the soul was precarious at best, never attempted before by any healer. He on the other hand, had firsthand experience on the matter.

Tom admired the love and attention lavished onto the dark haired teen by the whole family. The Weasleys may have been poor but they had the heart of gold. The family had stuck with Harry's side through thick and thin no matter the ridicule or the personal cost. Slytherin as he was, Tom had helped the family though indirectly in the past years and felt it fully justified. The Malfoys, he had kept away, not wanting to agitate his sick guest.

He took the chair beside the sleeping teen and laid a hand on his forehead. The skin felt young, warm and alive under his fingers. Harry's eyes fluttered open. There was recognition in those eyes.

"Good morning!", he breathed softly. A faint smile on Harry's face was the sole response he got.

"Marvolo!" Tom looked up in the startled face of Ron. The Weasleys had begun to call him that after their first few awkward encounters. They found all his epithets uncomfortable and he found his Muggle name unpleasant. In the end they had settled on his middle name.

"Hello Ron." He smiled. Ronald was one of the rare few who were regularly bestowed with his smiles. The rest of the wizarding world had the tendency to go into palpitations whenever he smiled, preferably in anticipation of more laws pushing for equal status for all the Dark and Light magical creatures. The Weasleys usually smiled in response and mostly supported him. Ron was his liaison into the ministry departments now, a title he shared with youngest of Malfoys though not enthusiastically.

Ron nodded. "He had a peaceful night. No nightmares!"

Tom gazed down again in the emerald orbs. There were question in those eyes. "Blaise will be visiting for lunch." The smile broadened. He smiled in response and joined the teen's side in his bed.

"Gotta ask about breakfast mate." Ron grinned at Harry and left. Harry's shoulders shook in amusement. Ron was Ron, unflappable as always. Tom suppressed a chuckle. Trust Ron to look for food first thing in the morning.

"Why?", Harry croaked. Tom looked intently into the face he once hated and lifted a brow. Trust Harry to speak his first words in eighteen months as a question. A question he knew was coming as soon as he had left the Dementors's lair.

He let out a breath. "The Light side keeps the Dark creatures as downtrodden as possible, paints purebloods as bigots and taints and belittles the traditions. I am not a saint Harry. I have killed and pillaged my way through the wizarding world. I wanted you……… plain and simple. You were the icon of the Light side untouchable, pure and innocent. People looked up to you. I wanted to take you from their clutches and show you the ugly side of the moon, as the muggles say; the one that is there but never seen." He touched the young cheek again. Harry leant into the touch and closed his eyes. "You were everything I wanted in my heir." Harry opened his eyes and stared. There was honesty in the eyes of older wizard.

He shifted slightly and laid his head on Tom's shoulder. "Adopt me."

Tom searched the face of younger wizard for jest. He only found acceptance. He pressed a kiss into his hair. "I will. Thank you."

**********

_"He is my husband. I am not divorcing him"_

_"He wasn't happy considering what he did; and you are legally dead. Zabini is a better choice in the Dark Lord's eye." He could tell his father wasn't happy about it either but nobody could anger Lord Slytherin and got away with it. "Sign the annulment papers please."_

_There was a hollow in his chest someplace his heart used to be.  
_

*** ****

Draco almost growled at the Dark lard. Well almost! He had thought that with Harry's return from the dead he would be back in the spotlight. He had returned but not as Draco. He had been reintroduced in to the society as Orion, the younger twin of still dead Draco Malfoy. Tonight, he was sitting in the balcony box with his parents and the Dark Lord for an evening out in the opera. It was Harry's first public outing since his wedding. The press had gone crazy when they realized the famed boy who lived was there on Zabini's arm. Harry had become somewhat of a martyr in the eyes of the public since his wedding, as if he wasn't one before. Now his status rivaled a god. He was the one whose sacrifice had ended the war and saved lots of lives. His lips curled in distaste.

Draco had jumped at the chance to wed the boy who lived. The attraction to finally get one over his childhood nemesis had filled him up with giddiness. He had taunted the other boy during the entire 'short' courtship period. The wedding night was a disaster though. He was horrified when he had discovered what Harry had done.

Harry was sitting with Zabini in the seat next to Lord Slytherin. Harry looked content in Zabini's arms. On his other side the members of Weasley brood were seated.

Draco had signed the annulment. His time as Harry's husband was over. He sighed. He had not known there was any previous connection between the Harry and somebody who was male. He had dated only two girls briefly during school what with the goings on in the wizarding world. The end of the war had been sudden and swift. Zabini was the man whore of the school who suddenly stopped being one. The dark skinned boy had never acknowledged Harry during school. Zabini's visits to Harry had convinced him otherwise. Then again there was much he hadn't paid attention to during his last school year.

*********

Tom sat regally. He had legally made Harry his heir last week and promptly leaked the news. The speculation had run rife within the wizarding Britain. The reporters had converged on their party as soon as they had arrived. He had enjoyed the hangdog expressions on their faces when they had seen his heir. Harry was on his one side with Blaise. He looked happy with his arms draped around the Zabini heir. They were an unlikely pair. 'Who would have thought?' They were as different as chalk and cheese yet they managed to hold themselves together with poise.

The last month had been troublesome. The youth had suffered a lot during the mending but it was finally over. Harry had begun to talk after the first fortnight of violent rages. The nightmares had almost gone and he was nearing a stage to start weaning off from the restorative potion regime. The sparkle was back in those eyes he so loved to incite. The blood adoption ritual he had performed hadn't drastically changed Harry. instead harry had assimilated his traits with surprising ease. His face had taken his strong jaw and softened it with wide expressive green eyes with blue flecks in them. He loved to tease Harry and those eyes would flash in annoyance, amusement or smugness. He loved to read the expression in them. His body had gained strength and magic. Tom was satisfied.

The lights dimmed and the show began. The singing was beautiful and the actors marvelous. Almost all the elite of the pureblood and ministry were here tonight; more to see his heir than the opera. He smirked as he remembered the shocked faces when they had arrived. Harry had taken his hand shyly holding Blaise with his other which led to more dropped jaws.

*********

Downstairs the dinner was in progress. The organisers had arranged for dinner after the performance. Harry wanted to avoid the crowd so Blaise had taken him up onto the balcony.

"It was beautiful."

"It was a tragedy, Harry."

Blaise was leaning against the balustrade casually holding Harry with one arm. In the other he held his drink. Harry would take a sip now and then. Ron and Hermione were seated in the private balcony nursing their drinks, occasionally glancing at the newly engaged couple but otherwise refraining from comments.

"Still it was beautiful. Unrequited love is the most torturous thing in the world. Talk about irony of life."

Blaise turned his head away from the guests and tightened his arm around his fiancé. Harry had led a life full of trials and tribulations. Who better could understand the irony of life and its quirks? He smiled and pecked him lightly. "It was beautiful." He agreed.

Harry smiled and ducked his head into his chest. Blaise grinned into the amused eyes of Hermione Weasley nee Granger the new power attorney and the bane of existence of pureblood supremacy. She ran a busy practice and employed the bulk of muggleborns in the laws business. She had the support of Lord Slytherin indirectly so she was literally untouchable and almost scarily smart. Why she fell for the easy going Weasley had been a topic of discussion so often within his group. He could see it now. They complemented each other well enough.

She looked past him and tilted her head on the side alerting them to approach of someone unwanted.

"Harry." Harry stiffened slightly in his arms but otherwise gave no inclination of being scared of the intruder. He turned and stared defiantly into the eyes he had once trusted with his life. No more!

"Well well well, if it isn't the backstabbing blood traitor……….," He arched his neck and took in the rest of the ambushing party (Fudge and the rest of the order of the phoenix), "………. and the rest of the fried chicken club. Killed any new birdies yet."

"Harry……."

"My name is Harold Thomas Potter Riddle. Riddle for you. Missing your old haunting grounds yet." Harry smirked. Tom had managed to eject the old coot from Hogwarts finally a year ago. He had squawked in protest but had yielded in the end. Tom had leaked the conditions Harry had been forced to grow up in with Dumbledore as his magical guardian to press. An indignant public had thrown the meddling bastard out of the control of any current and future pupils of the school and instituted a board for the purpose. The title of headmaster soon followed.

"Mr. Riddle…………" The bumbling fool of the Minister tried to butt in. Harry turned an irritated glance onto the idiot and glared. It took the wind out of the sails of the moron. Even he recognized the futility of enraging the heir of Lord Slytherin and shut up quickly. "I hope you enjoy the party." He walked away. 'Perhaps Fudge wasn't so bad. That dog could be taught new tricks.'

His gaze landed on the betrayer. His closest link to his parents after Sirius had died. Lupin! His lips stretched in a snarl. The betrayal had bloody hurt. The man hadn't bothered when he was a parentless infant. The man hadn't bothered when Sirius had died. Period! Harry controlled his breathing. He had wound himself up in ties in the hope of reconnecting with small links to his parents. All these people have used him for their own end. Like a weapon to be used and discarded.

"Get out of my sight you filthy traitors before I curse you." His words were loaded with ice.

"Harry, I know you are angry but we had no choice. Would you have liked it if more people had died into the conflict." Ah! Trust Dumbledore to play on his guilt for Sirius's death.

Harry smiled coldly. "Yes. You should have died. You took the easy option, you hypocrite. I know you would have sacrificed your own sister to your glorious future you want. Old Bathilda had such good memories." Dumbledore flinched at the words. "Shall we go down to dinner Blaise." He held his hand out to his smirking fiancé. Hermione flanked Blaise's other side while Ron moved to support Harry. Together the quartlet walked past the ex-order members.

********

Ron and Hermione had gone home from the party with the rest of the Weasleys. Blaise had bid him goodnight at the manor and flooed home. Tom helped him into his room. Harry laid like a lump in his bed where Tom had placed him.

"Tired?"

Harry grinned weakly and held out his hand. Tom laid down beside him and covered them up with a warm quilt. They held each other quietly listening to the night sounds.

"It was hard facing them." Harry murmured.

"I know. You needed to close that chapter of your life Harry."

"Yes."

"They will pay."

"Yes, they will." Tom pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Harry closed his eyes and dreamed. He was free and happy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own only the plot; the characters belong to JKR.**

Shades of existence

Sorry about the long wait. I was hard pressed to continue this story. Today I found my hands willing to type.

To those who have reviewed the story many thanks. I am yet too reluctant to let Draco in Harry's new life. He may become a friend but the main story focusses on the mentor Voldemort and Harry/Blaise pairing.

Chapter 4

Draco had fought against impossible odds before to get what he wanted. He did attain what he wanted too. Still like the devious sand, the things he got slipped from between his fingers. Potter was the bane of his existence. He was the one thing he had been denied more than once in his lifetime. He had been ecstatic when he found out that his father had managed to ensnare the elusive Potter heir as his bonded ( one of the concessions granted for the cessation of the war). He had finally got one over the annoyingly handsome prat. He had happily insulted the daylights out of the hangerons of those blood traitors and mudbloods Potter had always allowed to hang around him.

**********

_"Stay away from my betrothed weasel and mudblood." Draco sneered._

_He had spotted Harry sitting beside the lake. Since they had found out about the contract the golden boy and his posse had avoided him like a plague. Finally Goyal had shadowed them and informed him of their favorite haunts. He had found Harry slumped over in a tight embrace with the red headed weasel and Draco was annoyed._

_Granger sneered at him. "Go away Malfoy. He is not under your power yet and if I can manage it never will be."_

_Draco smirked. "Maybe I can get them to include a contract for you with Crabbe or Goyal" He leered at the blanched face of the mudblood. 'Served her right to meddle in his affairs.'_

_"She may be beneath you in the new social hierarchy but she is far away from your clutches. I made sure of that in the documents of faith that your lord signed." The calm voice of the weasel stumped him for a moment. " Go Malfoy, before I challenge you to an honor duel for insulting my fiance. Harry would be my second you know that."_

_Draco shook with rage at the implied meaning. The pure blood of the weasel was still good for something. He was surprised though. Harry hadn't even glanced at him during the entire episode. He had ignored him the entire time._

_He would make sure the next time he would catch the prat alone. He wouldn't be able to hide behind his friends._

************

_Draco stalked through the Room of Requirement. Potter was sitting quietly beside a roaring fire. The whole room was so entirely Gryffindor it made Draco sick. He knew both Granger and Weasley had classes at this time and they thought to hide their golden boy in here. A quick note from Snape and it was just too easy to sneak in here. Harry was given the whole week off from classes since he had collasped in herbology the other day._

_"Stress. hah a joke. Potter had never showed any signs of stress with insane mass murderers after him. He always got special treatment sitting here while the rest of us slave at classes." he muttered as he neared the prat._

_He knudged the boy. "HEY POTTER". Draco grinned as the other boy opened his eyes and glared at him. It was that reaction he loved to see in the other boy."_

_"Malfoy." There was such utter abhorrence, loathing and a desire to throttle him for good all rolled in the single word that Draco was speechless for a minute._

_"You look so damaged Potter. Did the light side throw you to the me to save themselves. Did you know your dear substituted godfather Lupin signed the contract on your behalf. You are__ going to come to me and I will own you to do as I please._

_Potter glared at him. "You may own my life but my death would be my own."_

_Draco stared at the stubborn boy lying in front of him. 'He would never give up and surrender to you.' his mind whispered. 'He will.' He vowed._

************

_'Imperio.' Potter had thrown the spell at him. Draco knew that Harry couldn't hurt him but he still felt a shiver of fear. The spell rebounded and hit Harry back throwing him onto their bed. Draco approached the other boy with trepidation not knowing what had happened to him. Harry laid there with a glassy eyed stare and a trickle of blood flowing from his ears. _

_'Shit' Draco swore. The blood with the rebounded curse was indicative of severe brain damage. He hurried to the stupid prat's side. If Potter died then all of their negotiations would be for naught. Both the sides would gladly murder him. Draco really felt true fear for the first time in his life. As he touched the other boy he felt a magical presence engulf him and throw him into the opposite wall. He blacked out._

**********

_When he came to, he found himself in one of the rooms in his manor. His mother was sitting beside him and beside her stood an angry Lord Voldemort. Draco recounted the previous night quickly and was left alone and well alive. He shook like a leaf. His mother barely looked him in the eye as she told him what had happened after he had been knocked out. He had been declared dead which was good since both the sides wanted to kill him until they were told that he had already died. France seemed the best option to lose himself as a different fraternal twin to himself. His mother had swiftly arranged his adoption into his cousins family. It helped to change and mask his features and give him another identity to keep him alive._

_***************_

He looked at his ex husband hanging on the arms of his best friend. His time with his cousins had helped him realize one thing. He had cared for the prat that had been such a constant in his life. He had begged to visit Harry many times but his requests had been denied. The Weasleys and Granger surprisingly managed to get the permission though and Harry had recovered after two years from his insane attempt. He looked delectable but still out of his reach.

I wanted to do Draco's point of view for a long time to fill the gaps in the story. The story is finished now. I might consider a sequel but not sure about it yet.


End file.
